The God Particle by ForgettableFox

The God Particle

A/N: Hello Readers! We are cruising right through this trope bingo card! Next up – thriller fantasy genre! I did a lot of research on this in terms of the set up. So perhaps we learn a little something about quantum physics! I hope I don’t bore you!

Here we go!

ENJOY!

Tropes: Science Wizard/The Magic Comes Back

&-------&

Kagome nervously smoothed down her auburn pencil dress, tucked her long raven tresses behind her ears, and readjusted her lab coat for the umpteenth time. Her hands shook with nerves and she would be embarrassed to admit that she was sweating profusely from her armpits. A decades’ worth of study, lab work, and experimentation had all led up to this huge announcement.

Sango’s hand touched her shoulder, and she gave Kagome a reassuring smile. “Dr., you’re going to do great out there. Don’t worry so much.”

Kagome tried to return the gesture, but her heart wasn’t in it. Her other two teammates, Miroku and Inuyasha, gave her a supportive thumbs-up. She grinned weakly in return, the action more of a grimace than an actual smile, and straightened her dress once again.

An employee of the lecture hall called out, “Dr. Higurashi, we’re ready for you.”

“Okay. Thank you.”

Anxiously, stilettos clicking as she went, Kagome made her way out to the stage.

The lights were obnoxiously bright, and she squinted her cerulean eyes as she walked to the podium. Once she was situated, she felt somewhat grateful that everyone was reduced to a silhouette, and she didn’t have to gaze at expectant faces while she presented. Police officers had lined the streets to protect her vehicle from protestors, and armed guards had escorted her into the lecture hall. Angry people had thrown whatever they had on hand and held signs that screamed, 'Faith Wasn’t Made In A Lab!’ and ‘Stop Playing God!’ – it had been a traumatizing experience to say the least.

From what she was told, the audience consisted of news reporters from around the world, politicians, the top scientists from a multitude of fields, religious experts, and her close colleagues. It made her knees tremble just thinking of it. At least with the lights glaring into her retinas she wouldn’t be able to tell if they were sneering at her or not.

Kagome licked her lips and took a steadying breath. “Hello everyone, my –” Reverb from the microphone caused the audience to groan and Kagome flinched at the piercing sound. One of the audio technicians ran out on the stage to fiddle with a cable before the sound quieted, and he dashed away once more.

She cleared her throat, “Let’s try that again, shall we?” Quiet audience laughter.

“Hello everyone, my name is Dr. Kagome Higurashi and I am the head quantum physicist in charge of the Large Hadron Collider which we fondly call ‘The Jewel’. For those of you unfamiliar with The Jewel, it is the largest particle accelerator ever created in the history of mankind. At approximately seventeen miles in circumference, the piping is buried underground and encapsulates a good amount of the city. In a separate building, we have the actual collider portion and observation deck to examine the results. The Jewel has the capability to move particles at near lightspeeds.”

She clicked a button on the keyboard of the podium and a slide show pulled up behind her. It showed the massive piece of human engineering. A collage of chrome plating and wires and motherboards. While others may have seen it as a nine-billion-dollar waste...all Kagome saw was the future.

“I’ll go ahead and venture a guess that the majority of you aren’t well versed in quantum physics and only remember the fundamental particles – neutrons, protons, and electrons. So, to get everyone on the same basic understanding, I’ll start with a joke - Why can’t you trust an atom?...Because – they make up everything!” Someone in the audience coughed and Kagome laughed nervously into the microphone. She peeked to the side of the stage only to see both Sango and Inuyasha with their faces buried in their hands. Miroku gave her a wide grin and two thumbs-up.

‘Geeze Miroku, why did I let you convince me to put that into my speech?!’

She took a sip of water and set the glass shakily down. Her cheeks were tinged pink with her mortification. She squeaked, “Now, you may be asking yourself, ‘Dr. Higurashi, we know that particles make up everything, that’s not news,’ and you’d be right! It’s the creation of those particles that is the primary focus of my research. You see, there are sixteen different forms of matter and energy. Six quarks, six leptons, and four forms that hold matter together called bosons.” Another click of the keyboard and the slide showed a chart of particles and their designations.

“But you see, science and mathematics tells us that there should be another type of particle. A mystery particle that not only communicates with the others, but creates them as well. Up until now, we knew that subatomic particles never disappear, they just change into other forms – that was, until my team and I finally discovered that mystery particle!”

Kagome let the murmur of the crowd quiet down and she had to fight the urge to wipe sweat off her brow.

“When using The Jewel, it shoots a beam of photons a little slower than the speed of light through its circumference. Then, at the center of the particle accelerator, two more beams are smashed headlong into one another which results in a spray of subatomic particles. Out of the hundreds of millions of pairs of protons our super-computers identified, one in ten million decayed at a near alarming rate – nearly ten to the minus twenty-two seconds – which was already remarkable that we managed to identify it.” Another click of the slides and a screen shot of the super-computer results.

The quiet awe of the audience who understood the data bolstered her confidence, and she found that the smile on her face was genuine. “And once we identified it – something truly amazing happened. After these particles decayed – they did not just shift into new subatomic particles…No….they created more particles around it. Suddenly, we were watching matter being created from nothing – thin air! Now, this was on a small scale over the course of five years of work. But tomorrow, I am happy to announce that we plan on running The Jewel for a full twenty-four hours to see how these particles will react when given more time to bond to the world around it. We predict that these particles will pass through the electromagnetic field and create something new. My hypothesis is that it could create a new periodic element entirely!”

The murmur had grown to a wave of whispers. She took another tentative sip of water and checked her watch. “It seems we still have a few minutes left, so at this time I will gladly answer any questions that I can.”

A flurry of hands shot into the air and people shouted, “Dr. Higurashi! Over here! Please!”

Kagome scanned the crowd and settled on an unassuming woman with unruly brown hair and an orange and cream checkered blouse. “Ah - yes, you there!”

The woman stood and took the microphone handed to her by waiting staff. Her face was somber as she asked her question. “Dr. Higurashi, my name is Rin and I’m with the Western News Network. Is it true that you are calling this new mystery particle the ‘God Particle’?”

Kagome should have expected that to be the first question and honestly, she would have been surprised if she received any more after this. It was the reason the lecture hall was filled to the brim. The reason why angry protestors stood outside with their signs. The reason she had armed security escorting her into buildings.

Kagome released an exasperated sigh. “Well, actually, no – that's a misquote from the very same media you hail from. Originally, I had called it the ‘Goddamn Particle’ because it degraded so quickly it was nearly impossible to identify. And that was the first word we all said when we saw that it actually created other particles. The media caught wind and shorted it to ‘God’ for ratings, which is fitting, I suppose – but not accurate and – ”

“But Dr., aren’t you concerned that you are now playing God? And that The Jewel is merely mimicking our Creator on a smaller scale?”

The Dr. Couldn't prevent the irritation that laced her voice. “No, I don’t believe that. This is science and has little to do with religion. Would you say that a mother is ‘playing God’ when she creates life in her womb? Of course not! That’s -”

“And what of the repercussions?”

“What repercussions?”

“Exactly – you hadn’t listed any potential repercussions. Aren’t you worried that you may be meddling in something you don’t entirely understand? Things that lean toward the Devine and are out of your wheelhouse as scientists?

“Now wait just a damn minute! What kind of news network are you?!” Kagome’s fists were clenched so tightly her knuckles were white.

Rin spoke over her exclamations. “And maybe you’re letting your own ego get in the way of your better judgement?”

“Alright, listen here you little sh–” Kagome suddenly found a hand slapped over her mouth and Sango was escorting her off the stage.

Inuyasha spoke into the microphone, black hair glinting in the bright lights, “Dr. Higurashi won’t be takin’ any more questions. We appreciate you comin’ out and hopefully we have some more good news to share the day after tomorrow.”

~oOo~

It was nine a.m. and The Jewel had been running seamlessly for nearly three hours. The building which housed both the actual collider portion of The Jewel and the observation deck, was located in the heart of downtown. It was a convenient fifteen-minute walk from Dr. Higurashi’s skyline apartment, and she was glad she didn’t have to worry about morning rush hour traffic. Currently, she paced the observation deck, coffee in hand, lab coat whipping behind her as she ranted.

“The nerve of that lady yesterday! We are literally on the verge of a groundbreaking discovery and she wants to talk theology! Ugh!” She took a sip of her nearly empty cup. “And I bet she just has a basic degree in journalism or liberal arts or something else just as useless! Maybe if more people got S.T.E.M. degrees, we’d have less idiots in the world!” Kagome slammed the cup on her desk. “Inuyasha, are you even listening to me?”

Inuyasha gave a non-committal grunt from behind the control panel where he fervently typed. She sighed and looked to Miroku who was trying to ease his hand to Sango’s backside. The latter was bent over refilling the printer with paper. As he made contact, there was a resounding slap that echoed through the observation deck, and Miroku lurched away with a lopsided grin.

“Lech! If you need something to keep your hands busy – go pour me a cup of coffee! I’m going to need more caffeine if I'm dealing with you all day.”

“But Sango – your curvaceous backside calls to my cursed hand like a siren to sailors! It can’t be helped!”

Sango rolled her eyes, “Yeah yeah – tell that to HR when I file a sexual assault charge.”

Miroku gasped with mock indignation. “You wouldn’t! Here – perhaps to make up for my digression –” he dropped to one knee before her, “– Sango, will you...will you bear my children?”

“Dr. Higurashi! I’m about to commit murder! Do something with him before we’re down two technicians! Him, in the grave, and me in prison!”

Kagome stopped her pacing and crossed her arms, “Miroku, go get Sango a coffee with extra hazelnut creamer and cinnamon. I don’t have time to train up one new tech, let alone two.”

Miroku stood and gave a chivalrous bow, “Right away Dr.!”

Dr. Higurashi ran a hand down her face as he left with a wink. “It never ends with him...”

“Hey guys, I need a second set of eyes on these readings,” called Inuyasha, leaning back in his chair, brown eyes concerned.

The two women walked over and peered at the multiple computer screens that lined the desk. The software, which controlled The Jewel, showed an abundance of electronic dials and gauges that helped the scientists determine their next course of action.

“What’s the problem?” asked Sango.

He pointed to the middle screen, “Here, the klystrons gauge. It’s been climbin’ for the last hour. And here – ” he tapped the keys and pulled up more readings, “ – the electromagnetic field generator has been sporadic and barely within nominal levels...I can’t seem to get either of them under control.”

Sango scooted his office chair with her hip and tapped the keyboard. “Have you tried slowing down the actual electromagnets and increasing the vacuum limits in the beam pipes?”

Inuyasha glared and pushed her out of the way, the sword tattoo on his exposed forearm bunched with the movement. “Of course I tried that! It was like – the first thing I tried!”

They glowered at each other, but Kagome ignored them. Instead, she went to her own workstation and pulled up her own data inquiry.

“Holy shit,” whispered Kagome.

Miroku entered with a large coffee and handed it to the still glaring Sango. “Hey, what’s going on?”

“Guys!” Kagome’s voice cracked. “Guys! Get over here!” Sango and Miroku came over while Inuyasha typed quickly at his station with a furrowed brow. “Look at these readings! The mystery particle, it’s already starting to create more particles at a phenomenal rate! The super-computer is having no difficulties identifying them! Even the rate of decay seems to have decreased dramatically!” Tears welled in her eyes. “We’re doing it – this is it – we’re doing it...”

“Well Goddamn,” said Miroku in awe. “We found that Goddamn Particle!”

Sango squealed and threw her arms around Miroku, careful to not spill her precious coffee, and Kagome sobbed with the relief she felt. She had done it, years of turmoil, hard work, and dedication finally proved –

Alarm bells.

The entire observation deck became a cacophony of shrieking sirens and blinking florescent red lights. The Jewel on the other side of the glass began to shake and pink sparks shot out between the panels. Sango ran to the glass, her face a picture of surprise as she shouted, “Inuyasha! What’s going on?”

Miroku hurried to his own desk and began typing frantically, eyes wide as he gaped at the readings.

“Inuyasha!”

“Gimme a damn second! I’m trying to vent the vacuum systems from both sides and discharge the electromagnetic field! The Jewel is overheating, the particles are accelerating too quickly – readings say they’re travelin’ faster than the speed of light!”

“Impossible!” cried Sango, rushing to her own computer. “Dr. Higurashi – Kagome! What do we do!”

Miroku shouted over the blaring alarms, “We turn it off! Initiating shut down sequence. Dr., I need your access code!”

The three technicians turned to their lead quantum physicist expectantly.

“Kagome! Your access code! Hurry!”

Dr. Higurashi’s eyes were glued to her computer screen. The reflection of the screen and blinking lights gave her a ghoulish quality as she stared, unblinking. Slowly, she raised her cerulean eyes to her team and said the unthinkable, “Stay the course.”

“What?!” they shouted.

Inuyasha slammed his fist on the desk. “Kagome, we need to turn it off, The Jewel wasn’t built to handle this type of acceleration!”

More pink sparks shimmered on the other side of the glass and The Jewel emitted a worrying screech. The sound bore into their eardrums, causing gooseflesh to rise across their skin in near unison. Fine hairs on their bodies stood on end and everything gained an electric quality.

Something was wrong.

Something was very wrong.

“I said, we stay the course! The Jewel can handle it! Here look at these readings! The mystery particle, the God Particle, it’s creating something! All the new pieces are focusing here, in the collider! Something big is about to happen, I just know it!” Her voice was a fervent plea.

She needed this, goddamnit!

She needed to see what all her work was for!

“The only big thing that’s about to happen is a fucking explosion!” shouted Miroku. “I understand this is your life’s work, Kagome, but we are entering dangerous territory!”

“I hate to agree with him, but he’s right,” said Sango. “This isn’t leading anywhere good. Give us your access code before it’s too late.”

Inuyasha continued to ferociously type at the controls. Sweat poured down the sides of his face as he attempted to slow the acceleration within The Jewel.

“Fuck!” he yelled, “Guys, I’m outta options over here! We need to do somethin’ quick!”

The Jewel let out a piercing shriek, like metal being rent in two, and the scientist covered their ears. Like a lightning storm, suddenly the observation deck felt ionized to an impossible degree and pink energy skittered over their keyboards, their bodies, the floor, the walls. The smell of burnt wiring permeated the room and the air sizzled with pink heat. The ground quaked around them, filling the scientists with a feeling of increasing dread. Then in a haze of burning pink light...

...The Jewel detonated.

~oOo~

Kagome’s ears rang terribly, and her body ached like she had been hit by a fully loaded freight train. With a feat of herculean strength, she managed to crack open her eyes. The observation deck was in absolute shambles and the backup generator had turned on casting the room in an eerie glow. Lighting fixtures hung from the broken ceiling by barely attached cables, glass that separated them and the main collider had shattered, and everything was covered in a fine layer of dust. Computers, desks, and office supplies had been thrown haphazardly around the space. It stank of electrical fire smoke and there was a literal whirlwind coming from somewhere nearby.

And, was that screaming she heard?

On newborn foal legs, Kagome managed to pull herself up from the ground, shifting a piece of ceiling tile that had fallen atop her out of the way. She gazed passed the shattered glass into The Jewel’s housing area and was shocked to see...it was gone. Not just exploded, but the massive piece of tech had disappeared. And the screaming she heard, it was Sango and Miroku. Kagome gaped confusedly at the turmoil she was witnessing.

It was impossible.

In Miroku’s right hand was a blackhole, a wind tunnel that hungrily consumed everything within its vicinity. He was screaming at Sango to go, but she bravely moved closer to him, face set in determination as she tried to help. He attempted to angle his cursed hand away from her, and Kagome watched on in horror as Sango slipped – and her hands desperately tried to latch onto a bolted beam as she neared it.

But she missed.

Miroku frantically reached for her with his left hand as she neared him, tried to swing his right hand to the side...but it was too late. And before Kagome could even scream out, Sango was sucked into the event horizon of his blackhole, utterly devoured before her very eyes.

Miroku screamed and did the unthinkable – he tried to reach into his own hand to grab for Sango.

Kagome then had to watch for the second time, in as many seconds, as someone she cared for was sucked into the blackhole. Miroku gave a blood-curdling scream as his wind tunnel devoured him as well, turning his right hand inside out as it finally reached that part of his body.

With a final burst of wind, the cursed tunnel died out; in its place was just an empty room where The Jewel and two scientists once stood. 

What the fuck was happening?

Tears slid freely down her cheeks, leaving heavy streaks through the plaster and dust collected on her face. All she could do was stare. This wasn’t real. She had fallen asleep on the job, which wasn’t uncommon during her long shifts, and she was having a terrible nightmare. She’d wake up and everything would be alright. She just needed to wake up!

A groan to her right brought Kagome out of her shock. A body shifted under the debris and Inuyasha clutched a nearby desk to help him stand. He lurched to the side and clattered back to the ground. Kagome couldn’t do anything but gape.

“Inu – Inuyasha?” she stammered, “Is that you?”

“The fuck happened? Kagome, are you alright?”

He rightened himself and stumbled toward her, she retreated a hasty step back.

“What’s wrong with you doc? You look like you seen a ghost or somethin’. Where are Miroku and Sango? They okay?”

Dr. Higurashi gawked slack-jawed at her tech. He had transformed into something and if Kagome thought she was dreaming before, she was sure of it now, because what she was witnessing defied the laws of all science – of all reason!

Inuyasha’s long black hair had turned silver, brown eyes were amber-gold with slitted pupils, fingernails had grown into claws, human incisors into fangs, and atop his head sat two dog ears which followed her diligently as she moved.

She fearfully took another step back, then another, until she tripped over a computer monitor and landed on her back; effectively knocking the wind out of her. Inuyasha hurried over to help her, unnoticing of his changed appearance, and as he reached for Kagome – she threw her hands up protectively.

“No!” she screamed, “Get away from me!”

With a blast of pink light from her outstretched hands, Inuyasha flew against the far wall – denting it on impact. He groaned miserably before he passed out, unconscious. Kagome didn’t waste any time, she scrambled up and out of the observation deck as quickly as she could. Her hands shook uncontrollably as she hurried out of the building.

Fifteen minutes. It would take her a measly fifteen minutes to get home and then she could figure out what the hell was going on.

She careened out of the building and stumbled into a shrieking crowd. Everywhere, people were running, screaming, crying; scattering in all directions as they tried to get away. But from what they were escaping from, Kagome was uncertain. She stood in the sea of bodies as they surged around her, pushing and shoving and jostling her in their fear. Kagome managed to move herself into a doorway halfway down the block, gasping for breath.

She took in the city block around her.

Chaos. Mayhem. A calamity of bewildering proportions that she was unable to explain with any level of scientific reasoning. Nothing around her made sense. People were transforming into hybrid creatures before her very eyes. A boy shifted into a fox then back again. A woman gained rabbit like-features. A man grew five more feet in height, his features melting into something horrifying, demonic.

A skyscraper was suddenly enveloped by prehistoric growth, vines and trees and gigantic flowers. The sky had turned a concerning shade of violet with puffy acid-green clouds. Monsters with too many eyes or too many limbs or a combination of gruesome characteristics seemed to appear from nowhere. They chased after whatever moved nearby and hungrily tore them apart in the streets.

Car alarms and sirens joined their voices to the cacophony of terror that enveloped the city. There were explosions and smoke as fires caught. A bus crashed pell-mell into, what Kagome could only describe as, a giant bird-like creature with a man attached to its back. Or maybe, the man was part of the creature. Either way, both mouths squawked wretchedly and coated the surrounding buildings in blood and viscera as the bus collided with it.

Movement to Kagome’s left caught her eye, a woman was slinking out from a nearby alley. No – woman was too generous a term. Her upper half was female, but that was the extent of it. Her bare torso contained six arms, three on either side, and her lower half…her lower half was a centipede’s body.

The creature scuttled further from the alley, its body was at least one-hundred feet long, and it clambered over crashed cars and corpses with terrifying efficiency. Kagome pressed herself into the doorway, praying it didn’t see her through the chaos. The centipede-woman scented the air, long black hair cascaded down her pale body as she snaked her way to whatever her nose drew her to.

“Where is it?!” cried the centipede-woman. “I smell the jewel! Where is the Shikon no Tama?!”

The creature’s eyes scanned the shrieking crowd and, as it found Kagome in the doorway, her mouth became too large – it stretched impossibly back to her ears and fangs the length of her hand appeared in a sneer.

“There you are!”

With lightning speed, the creature rushed for Kagome and the physicist barely lunged out of the doorway in time. The building shuttered upon impact and the centipede howled with rage as its extended body slammed into itself, and became entangled.

Kagome didn’t wait around; she took off into the panicked crowd. There were more screams and suddenly, the physicist found herself with an unwanted entourage following her through the city. Demons. That was the only way she could describe them. Monsters straight from the pits of hell or maybe her darkest nightmares, chased after her. They flew through the air, appeared from alleys, attacked her from cross streets.

Whenever one would get too close, she would throw her tingling hand backward and a beam of pink light would shoot behind. Any demons caught in the blast would shriek and disintegrate, only to be replaced with more from the legion of nightmares. It was exhausting, and Kagome found herself waning the further she ran. This plan of hers was unsustainable and she quickly tried to come up with a new course of action.

She zipped down a side street that housed her favorite coffee shop and came to a screeching halt. She should have known this was a poor choice the moment the streets became clear of fellow humans running for their lives. It should have been a distinct indicator that something terrible was up ahead. Terrible enough to make all the humans and demons shy away from the area.

“Fuck,” she panted, “There’s no fucking way.”

There was a plum-colored dragon coiled in the street. A massive beast that towered amongst the skyscrapers, its body more snake than medieval creature of legend. Two mighty legs jutted from its forebody ending in claws the size of a pickup truck. Down its head and back tumbled a mane of white hair which blew in the wind. Crimson eyes greeted her and nestled into the fearsome beast’s forehead was a white Noh mask with dark purple stripes. Its crimson eyes matched the dragons perfectly.

The leviathan reared back onto its coiled body and, from its mouth, shot out a beam of blue light. Kagome flew to the ground as it careened overhead. The ball of energy struck the demons that had been gaining on the poor physicist and they died with horrendous wails. Kagome couldn’t bring herself to feel any pity for them.

The dragon roared its displeasure at the violet sky and then, to Kagome’s dismay, the creature spoke from the Noh mask within its head.

“Give me the jewel, human! I desire its power!”

The beast lunged toward the human woman who suddenly found herself too frightened to move.

‘This is it,’ she thought tiredly, ‘Killed by a dragon – what a way to go.’

But right as the leviathan’s maw opened wide to snatch her in its grasp…a massive white dog, with a blue crescent moon stamped to its forehead, sprang from the nearby rooftops and tore into the creature’s neck with a snarl. The dog rivaled the dragon in size, but where the serpent had the advantage of length – the dog had the advantage of robust muscle and sheer ferocity.

It gripped onto its prey with its strong jaws and wrestled the dragon to the ground with unmitigated strength. The serpent tried desperately to wrap its coils around the dog’s midsection, to pull it off, but it was unsuccessful in its attempt as the dog drug it backward through the street.

The dog growled and snarled around its mouthful of leviathan and shook it relentlessly in an act of sinking its fangs further into its prey’s hide. Then Kagome watched as thick green ropes of saliva seeped from the dog’s mouth. The dragon roared and thrashed as the green saliva touched its skin and Kagome realized the flesh was melting away on contact.

“Acid,” she whispered to herself, “That dog’s saliva is acting as an acid.”

She was enraptured by the battle she was witnessing. Blood and corrosive drool poured from the wound in the dragon’s neck as the dog continued to drag it down the street. Then, when the flesh had sloughed off its bones, the dog readjusted its bite and snapped down on the dragon’s neck.

The serpents head bounced away from its body and blood burst from the wound like a broken dam.

“Curse you!” cried the Noh mask. Then the beast detonated into dust.  

Kagome screamed and she covered her head as debris rained down around her. She shook violently and felt like she was on the verge of passing out. It was all too much. This day that was supposed to be the greatest day in her life had turned into an absolute nightmare.

She couldn’t bring herself to move as she felt, more than heard, the dog’s thundering footsteps as it neared her. The ground shook with the weight of the beast and Kagome’s breath hitched in her throat as it stood over her. She had no more fight left, she discovered, and was fully prepared to meet her fate.

Slowly, the beast lowered itself to lay in front of her, massive head settled between its ginormous front paws, and it stared. After a few moments, when Kagome realized she wasn’t being consumed, she raised her face to meet the vermillion eyes of the dog. When she made eye contact, the dog wagged its long flowing tail encouragingly.

Kagome sat herself back and took in the white beast. Its fur looked soft and fluffy, and the ruff of the creature flowed around its neck and onto its chest like a puffy cloud. A magenta V outlined either side of its mouth which accented the blue crescent moon nicely. The urge to pet the dog was near undeniable and she reached out a shaking hand to the space between them. The dog met her halfway and nudged its humongous face under her tiny hand. Its tongue lolled pleasantly, and its tail continued to wag at the contact.

“Thanks for saving me,” said the physicist nervously as she stood. “You are such a good dog! Yes, you are!”  She stroked the wet nose and scritched under its muzzle, and the dog seemed to smile down at her – vermillion eyes warm.

Then there was a flash of golden light that encompassed the white dog in its entirety. Kagome shielded her eyes at its luminosity and when she lowered her arm, the dog had disappeared and a man stood in its place.

Kagome gasped and took a step backward, taking him in.

He was a tall man, with long silver hair and ruffled bangs that framed his handsome face. He had an aristocratic nose set beneath the most captivating citrine eyes. Two magenta stripes graced either cheek and a blue crescent moon anointed his forehead – much the same way it had the great dog. Kagome’s eyes widened when she saw his ears were pointed and his fingers were tipped in deadly-looking claws.

He wore traditional Japanese clothing, white silk hakama and kimono top. The latter had flowing sleeves dipped in red, and both the sleeves and his shoulders bore a honeycomb pattern. An armor cuirass graced his chest and melded into a spiked pauldron that curved around his left shoulder. His right shoulder bore a flowing white pelt that reminded Kagome of the dog. Plated faulds protected his waist and thighs. And the entire look was pulled together by a yellow and purple sash. Two swords rested on his hip.

Kagome could only stare, slack-jawed, at the beautiful specimen before her. He looked both exotic and dangerous. A man who you did not want to trifle with unless you wanted to get bit.

She gulped. “Where – where did the nice dog go?”

He quirked a silver brow, citrine eyes full of mirth, as he said in a rich baritone, “I am the nice dog, let’s go.” Then he turned on booted feet and marched down the street with a predator’s grace.

Given the day she had been having, Kagome didn’t argue and hurried to catch up with the attractive man who turned into a nice dog. He was easily a head and a half taller than her five-foot-seven frame, and his legs seemed to stretch impossibly long as they ate ground with efficient steps. She was glad she wore tennis shoes today.

“Um, okay, so I’ve been having the craziest day – and while I appreciate of you saving me Mr. Dog, I have questions.”

“Sesshomaru.”

“Gesundheit.”

He gave her a disgruntled look. “My name is Sesshomaru, not ‘Mr. Dog.’ ” Then he tugged her behind him and pulled a wicked-looking sword from its sheathe. He swung it through the air, and a blast of green lightning killed a menagerie of monsters. He nodded, sheathed the blade, and continued walking.

Kagome slid around the piles of dust and ran to her savior’s side.

“Okay, Sesshomaru, I’m Kagome. Do you have any idea what’s going on? Because this just seems so impossible. Heck, I’d even go so far as to say it’s magical.”

A whip of light appeared in his large hand and he sliced through a flock of flying eyeballs with batlike wings. They oozed yellow slime as he cut them asunder.  

“It is magic. Someone summoned us to this world and now the creatures are in search of Shikon no Tama.”

“I don’t know what that is.”

His brows furrowed. “How can you not? You possess the jewel. I saw you wielding its light, hence why I offered to lend you my strength.”

A flood of demons surrounded them and Sesshomaru gave an annoyed sigh. Then in a feat of supernatural speed and strength, he destroyed the creatures with sword and whip and acid. In a matter of minutes, they were dispatched and Kagome found herself being tugged along.

“The only ‘jewel’ I know of is our Large Hadron Collider. I’m a quantum physicist and we were experimenting with a new mystery particle that was creating subatomic matter. The Jewel disappeared and now the world seems to be going haywire. Is that what you’re referring to?”

Sesshomaru gave her a dubious look. “I understood nothing of what you said. But from what I inferred – it sounds like you were the one who caused the magic to come into this world from mine.”

Kagome slid to a stop. “It’s – it’s my fault?”

He turned to her and shrugged. “Possibly. And if that is the case and my world’s jewel is now within you, you have a duty to defeat the evil you unleashed.”

“A duty?”

“Yes,” he said exasperatedly. “It is the responsibility of the jewel’s guardian to defeat all evil. As you are yet unpracticed in the task, I will assist you.” His citrine eyes went wide. “Kagome! Get down!”

A creature, that looked an awful lot like a pustule-covered ogre, lurched for Kagome; and with a raise of her hands, she blasted it until it was dust. The pink energy crackled along her arms pleasantly and she raised worried eyes to Sesshomaru.

He gave her a knowing look in return. “You see, that is the power of the jewel…It seems we have much work ahead of us.”

~oOo~

1 year later…

It had been a hell of a year for everyone in the world. Somehow, the detonation of The Jewel had caused magic to come into the mortal plane. Cities and landscapes were utterly transformed, as were the people, and every day, new and enigmatic creatures stalked the earth. Whether it was by portal, or a merging of universes, or whatever was still a mystery; one that Kagome vowed to let others within the scientific community solve without her help. She had had enough tampering with the unknown to last her a lifetime.

Over the course of the year, Sesshomaru helped teach her how to control her powers. The power she had been gifted, which he called reiki, banished the evil creatures who hungered for the Shikon no Tama. And, thanks to modern technology, an x-ray confirmed she did, in fact, have a physical jewel lodged into her side. A jewel that the creatures would stop at nothing to possess.

It made the job of killing them that much easier, since they all careened to her position like a moth to a flame.  

Not all the creatures were bad though – the majority of which were just as frightened coming into their new existence as the humans were. It posed for an interesting dichotomy between the humans of old and the creatures of new. An opportunity to create something unique – and wasn’t that the root of her research to begin with? Understanding creation and the bonds between one another?

Throughout the turmoil, Kagome had a loyal dog who served faithfully by her side. A master of sword and fang, he protected her with his life. She admired him. Admired his deeds, his stoic strength, his patience.

And over time, she even came to love him.

Which was a good thing because he learned to love her as well. Together they protected one another and the earth with their powers – and eventually, their love created something as well.

A beautiful raven-haired daughter with cerulean eyes, blue crescent moon stamp, and tiny fangs and claws. A child with tiny silver dog ears nestled atop her head and a perpetually wagging tail. A child born of the love that was forged through hardship.

And when she came into the world, Kagome couldn’t help but thank that Goddamn Particle for her existence.

&-------&

A/N:  Woo hoo!! Another one down!! I hope you all enjoyed. I would love to hear what you thought of our quantum physicist who brought magic back to the world! Honestly, I felt ridiculous because I had to cut SO MUCH of this story to keep it a nice-sized oneshot…like, I’m not trying to write another +200k monstrosity. But I get caught up in the world and I had so many ideas! Gah! This trope could have seriously spurred a multichapter series. Maybe it will – who knows. ha!

Next prompt is: No Immortal Inertia/Take Up My Sword!!

Thank you for reading!!!